HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) — A local chef is devastated after his food truck — a dream he had for years — was stolen late Sunday night in Homewood.

“I’ve been in the business 17 years, and this is what I’ve worked for my whole life and it’s gone now,” Drew Reece, owner and chef of Battle Axe’s Feast, said.

Reece was just celebrating one year with his new trailer when it was stolen from the parking lot outside the commissary kitchen on Vulcan Road. The area is popular for food trucks and trailer storage overnight. He said people in the area saw a truck hook up to it and take off between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.

For him, the loss of Battle Axe’s Feast is much more than just a business.

“It was everything for me, it was taking care of my health problems, finally having a steady income to take care of my insulin [for Type 1 diabetes], take care of my family,” Reece said, fighting back tears.

He suspects the perpetrator or perpetrators may have been watching him and planned this.

“It’s not an easy task to just take a 10,000 lbs trailer and just hook it up and go. It baffles me because we are nothing but trying to help the community,” Reece said.

Now, he’s turning to the community for their help to find it, and he promises his customers that just like their red-headed battle warrior mascot, they’re not going down without a fight.

“We will not give up, and we will be back,” Reece said with emotion in his voice.

If you’ve seen his trailer, please call Homewood Police. If you’d like to support Battle Axes Feast, find their GoFundMe here.